Who Are You Really?
by TheDaedalusGun
Summary: With these four words, Sasuke gets told a story he never would've believed, had it been anyone else. And, like Sasuke expected, Naruto did it all for a girl. Just not the one he expected. NaruHina, Rated M for violence, language, and roughness.
1. Chapter 0 - Prologue

**Hola. Here's my new version. Enjoy.**

 **I don't own Naruto at all, so please support the official release.**

He hated it. The noise so associated with the very thing that maintained life, but was never heard in good circumstance. That hollow, mechanical, foreshadowing sound. You never heard it in good times.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

In the bed lay a battered and weakened Sasuke Uchiha. He'd suffered a broken collarbone, fractured his neck, six ribs, and his left arm, been impaled through the chest, broken his right arm and three ribs, and been cut very badly in many places. Bandages covered his sternum, right arm, and one half of his face. Both eyes were fine, but only one was uncovered. It was looking at him.

Naruto stared right back into it. His face was emotionless.

Sasuke spoke up.

"What do you want from me?"

Naruto said nothing.

"I asked you a question, you bastard. What do you want? Why did you save me?"

Naruto looked left, and Sasuke couldn't turn his head far enough to see what it was he was looking at. He looked back at Sasuke, and spoke.

"I've killed more people than I can count. I didn't need-... I didn't want any more blood on my hands."

Sasuke stared at him, his charcoal eyes displaying his fury.

"Stop lying. You and I both know there's more to it than that."

Naruto looked away again.

"Who are you... really?" Sasuke's voice was much quieter, almost as if thinking out loud.

"

Naruto turned to face him.

Sasuke had seen many things in his life, but Naruto's face was one of the fey things he would never forget. His once bright and brotherly smile was now a simple expressionless line, and his eyes... his eyes looked dead and cold. What brightness was there had changed into an endless pit of pain and loneliness. Sasuke felt as if all the joy in the world had died that instant, and sucked the soul from everything surrounding him. Naruto seemed to look right through him, rather than at him.

"Do you really want me to answer that, Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sasuke was caught off guard by this address. Naruto had always been so personal and friendly, and now... Now he wanted to know. He wanted to know Naruto's power. He wanted to know what kind of hell Naruto had been through to understand his own pain.

"Yes. Tell me. Tell me it all."


	2. Chapter 1 - Darkness, My Old Friend

**I don't own Naruto, I just enjoy the story. Support the official release and check out the cool fan stuff.**

Naruto sat in a high backed wooden chair at the end of Sasuke's bed, hands clasped together, both index fingers pressed to his chin. Candlelight causes his face to be suffused with a mix of light and shadow. His golden hair fell over his shoulders and halfway down his back. He was tall, too. He must be equal to Jiraiya in heighth. Gone was the small, chipper Naruto Uzumaki of days past. Here sat a wisened, deadly, and mysterious shinobi. He looked up at Sasuke with his slender eyes. They reminded him of pictures of the Fourth Hokage. He brought out a tape recorder, and set it on a small table next to the chair, then turned it on.

He exhaled, then began to speak.

"You want to know about me. You want it all. Well, I'll tell you. But I do this to help you, not make you stronger by telling you my secrets. Hell, maybe this'll help me, too. Lord knows I could use therapy." He laughted lightly.

"I was born October tenth, Fifteen years and two hundred thirty one days ago, on the night of the Kyubi's attack on Konoha. You know this. What you and everyone but the third knew was that the Kyubi attack was the result of an attack by an nameless Shinobi. A masked Shinobi with a single sharingan eye. You know him as 'Tobi'." Sasuke's eye widened in suprise.

"Tobi took control of the beast after extracting it from my mother, the previous Jinchuriki to the Nine-Tailed Fox." Again, the surprise was evident in Sasuke's face, but he remained silent.

"Tobi set the beast loose, and battled the Fourth Hokage, who was able to make Tobi retreat. He then used a forbidden seal to summen the death god and place the Nine-Tails into a small, newborn child. You see, he couldn't ask a parent to sacrifice a child without he himself being willing to do the same. So he did. He sealed the demon into his son." Sasuke looked confused.

"He sealed it into me."

Sasuke's eye widened, and his mouth dropped open. "You... you're the son of Minato Namikaze...?"

"Yes, I am. My name is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, and I am the jinchuriki to the complete Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the most powerful of all tailed beast.

Sasuke was not sure how to take this. His former team-mate was the son of one of History's greatest Shinobi, the fastest man in to ever live, and one of the greatest heroes to come out of the ninja world.

"Does anyone know?" He finally managed to ask.

Naruto shook his head. "Only Jiraiya."

"Why?"

"Because my father killed over one thousand Iwa Shinobi during the Third Shinobi War. If word got out he had a son, I'd have been long dead. My father had many enemies."

Sasuke was about to speak, but Naruto raised one finger and put it to his lips, smiling. He didn't seem as distant now, just... tired.

"Let's continue. The first six years of my childhood aren't too important, just... painful. My first memory, when I was four, is of an orphanage worker trying to strangle me in my sleep. I woke up to that. Not very pleasant. every other memory was just... brutal. Violent. Alone. I don't know what it's like to lose family, Sasuke, because I've never had it. But I do know pain. To me, loneliness and pain are almost comfort zones. They're all I know. They're all I've ever known." He looked into the shadows to his left, sighing.

Sasuke looked at him and asked, "So what changed you?"

Naruto looked back at him.

"A girl."


	3. Chapter 2 - What Pain Is

**Well, here I am. New story, redone from Naruto : Master of Deception.**

 **I don't own Naruto at all, I just love the story. Support the official release.**

"... A girl?" Sasuke had a look similair to Kakashi's 'sweatdrop face'. "You did everthing for Sakura? All this changing and fighting?"

Naruto just stared at him. "No, not Sakura."

Sasuke looked even more surprised. "No? Then who?"

"Well... I was eight years old..."

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Naruto walked down the cold streets of Konoha, hands in pockets, lost in thought. His stomach growled in hunger. Some people turned to him and gave him angry looks. The rest were just too afraid of damaging their status to do anything. He ignored them.

He was used to ignoring people. He ignored orphanage workers. He ignored people in the street. He ignored Shinobi. He ignored... it.

His thoughts were interrupted by a startled yelp coming from a small park in Konoha. He ran in to see what was wrong.

Three large boys were pointing at a small, dark haired girl, laughing and making noises to frighten her. She seemed to be crying, but Naruto couldn't see her face. _Crap, I can't hurt these guys, I'll get hell for it. *sigh* screw it. Bullies piss me off._

"HEY!" Naruto shouted. All three turned.

The medium sized one leaned towards the tall one and said, "Hey, look, it's him..."

The tall one shouted, "What do you w-" His sentence was interrupted by Naruto's foot smashing into his face, knocking several baby teeth loose. The others looked frightened, then rushed Naruto and grabbed him. The tall one got up after a while.

"You little Schiht, you hocked my heeth ouht!" He began to mercilessy hit Naruto everywhere. Naruto screamed, trying to get anyone to help. Everything went black.

When he opened his eyes, he was on the ground and the bullies were gone. He looked around a bit, and that's when his eyes landed on... her.

A small pale girl with rosy cheeks and nearly white eyes was being led away from the scene by a similair looking man. She was looking back at him.

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Sasuke stared at him for some time, before asking, "Hinata?"

Naruto smiled. "Yes."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You like Hinata?"

"I love her. From the moment I saw her, I just... I just knew. I can't really explain it, and I won't try, because you won't understand until you feel it."

Sasuke looked surpriesed again. He looked down at his bed, and asked, "But... Why did you not go after her? Why pretent like you love Sakura?"

Naruto looked down as well. "It's part of my character."

Sasuke looked up. "Character? What do you mean character?"

Naruto sighed once more. "Sasuke, if people knew who I really was, if they knew how smart I was, they'd hunt me down like an animal out of fear for what I could do to them. I had to hide who I was. I had to make a mask. Plus, if Akatsuki ever came for me, I'd need them to underestimate me to give me an advantage. I couldn't beat people like them on my own. I could now, save for 'Tobi'." He spit out the name like it was some sick joke.

"I've done alot of hard things. I've been in terrible combat. I've stood ankle deep in blood around a field of corpses, while only I remain. I've been to other continents so strange and amazing and horrible that I'll likely have dreams and nightmares about them for the rest of my life." Sasuke was speechless.

"I know she loves me, too. I know that we probably will never be, her background and my tenant always being at the forefront of people's minds."

He sighed. "The hardest thing I've ever done is pretend that I barely know who she is. It kills me every day. She's been crushed by everyone around her through her entire life, and for me to have to ignore her, if even to protect her..." A tear rolled down his cheek. He raised his head and looked as Sasuke.

"That is what true pain is."

 **So. Here it is. I'd love to hear feedback. The old story bothered me, so I thought I'd fix it. And here it is. As said before, NaruHina, and Sasuke-related, but not centric to either topic. Enjoy.**


	4. Chapter 3 - Better Than You

**Hey! I'm back. Longer chapter here, so enjoy.**

 **I don't own Naruto, I just enjoy the story and am a fan of the series. Support the official release.**

Sasuke held up his one uninjured hand. "Okay, wait, you're going a little fast."

Naruto smiled. "I know. There's alot to go through. I guess you can ask me questions, I'll allow that."

Sasuke's confusion switched to slight anger. "You'll allow that? Now you're allowing me things? That's a little arrogant. Like you're above me."

Naruto's eyes grew cold once more, and he stood up, his massive frame dancing with shadow and candlelight. He spoke.

"Yes. I'll allow it. I'm above you. You forget that, while I do wish to help you, you've tried to kill me on multiple occasions. And you've come damn close. I may have saved you, but that doesn't mean I'm not capable of shoving you back into the shithole you created for yourself. If you don't want to change, then I can't and won't waste my time on you, you self-entitled prick."

Sasuke tried to move, but his whole body lit up with pain, and he clenched his teeth and shouted. Killer intent was a mix between power and experience. A jounin like Kakashi could let out terrifying amounts of it, and someone like Orochimaru could make one piss themself from it, but this... it was like Sasuke couldn't breathe. He could see fire and hell and pain and his own death all around him, and... and like that it was gone. He looked back to Naruto, who sighed.

"I want to help you, Sasuke. But you have to help yourself." He began walking off, just as Karin burst through the large wooden doors.

"Sasuke! Are you okay?!" She was breathing frantically, She must've felt it, too. Naruto looked at her.

"He's fine, but needs rest. You should help him and then get some sleep yourself." He walked into the doorway, then paused. "We'll pick up the story tomorrow."

It was a full minute after he left before either one spoke. Karin was the first, but was still looking into the empty doorway.

"It's strange... his chakra is the brightest and warmest I've ever felt, but at the same time, it's sort of... empty. Like it's warm, but he's cold... and there's a second chakra source in him that's hidden... but I can... I can feel a little bit of it... It burns."

Sasuke stared at the door, and said, "He's the Nine-Tails jinchuriki."

Karin gasped, looking at Sasuke with wide eyes. "He... he has-" Sasuke cut her off.

"Yes. He does. And I'm beginning to think he's hiding how much of it he can really use."

Karin waked over to Sasuke and held out her arm, but he held up a hand. "No. Just use medical jutsu." She looked surprised, but reluctantly agreed. "Why do we stay?" she asked.

"Because he could kill us all if he wanted. Because he'd die to protect us. And because... because he may be right."

Karin looked confused. "About what?"

"About me."

Sasuke sighed. _I know he's right. I just hate admitting it. He's better than me._

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Naruto walked down the halls of the underground base, looking at the walls. Banners, art, and inscriptions lined the walls. He paused at the armory. It was a long rectangular room, with closed cabinets on the walls. He knew what was in them. Kunai and shiruken of all sizes, wire, explosive tags, sealing equipment, chakra pills, combat apparel.

At the end of the room was a large, doorless cabinet. The back wall had two sixteen inch black guardless tanto, with curved blades, two red hilted, simple katana, and a long bow with two full arrow quivers. The top of the wall had a long string running from either side. Hung on this string were forty kunai, each with a tan handle and a forked blade with three points. In front of the wall was a suit of armor, similair to Madara Uchiha's, but with the left arm highly armored with plates. The right arm had the regular shoulder pad, and a forearm protector. The armor was dark orange, and had many faint scratches and marks. Naruto kept it well repaired, but it was impossible to completely remove every blemish. On the floor of the cabinet, in front of the armor, was a dark, black and gold case with a seal on the front. Naruto had only ever had to use that weapon twice. He hoped he would never have to again, but he knew, in the back of his mind, he would. He continued down the hall, lost in thought about Sasuke, and the Konoha Nine, and... and Hinata.

He missed her so badly. It ached in him worse than any poison or twisting blade, and every day it grew worse. He would dream about waking up, and she would be there, sunlight coming through the window and enveloping her in a heavenly shroud of light. He would sketch her with his pastels, and he kept every drawing in a large brown folder. He wanted to go home, grab her by the shoulders, and sheout, "You are the best of everything in my life! You are the light that guides me in darkness, and I am yours."

But he couldn't. He had other things to do. He had to worry about Akatsuki, and the masked man. He had to-

*grumble* He looked down at his stomach.

He had to make a sandwich.

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The kitchen wasn't as massive as the other rooms, but was still pretty big. It had two stovetop ovens with four burners each, two sinks, a fridge of fairly good size, and cabinets on the ground and coming down from the ceiling. The room was about the size of the Hokage's office. Adjoining the room was a dining are with a twelve seated table, and a lounge. Jiraiya sat in said lounge on a couch, watching TV. He Said, "Hey, kid," without looking back.

"Hey, old man." Naruto snickered. He could practically hear the pervert clench his teeth. He walked to a fridge and pulled out some lunchmeat, then went to a cabinet to get the bread, and... well, long story short, he made a sandwich.

"Hey, Jiraiya?" He asked. Something in his voiced sounded different to the old man. He sounded serious, nervous, like a kid trying to ask his dad about something taboo, but he's old enough to understand it's an uncomfortable subject. Jiraiya turned his head to face him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you... Are you proud of me?" He looked so scared, so vulnerable.

Jiraiya thought to himself, _He's so strong and smart, sometimes I forget he's just a fifteen year old kid._ He looked Naruto in the eyes.

"Yes, I am. You're the strongest person I've ever trained, and you're the best person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I'm proud of you. Your dad would be, too."

Naruto smiled so brightly, Jiraiya was a bit stunned. Naruto's real smiles were so rare, and so genuine, that when one shown, he could make a Kage speechless and any woman blush. _Too bad he only likes that little pale girl. I wonder if she filled ou-_ He ducked left, dodging a spork. Naruto was frowning.

"I recognize your perv face, sensei. You can't slip past me." Jiraiya frowned.

"I stopped writing Icha-Icha, and stopped going researching, what more do you want?!" He asked, pleading now on his knees.

Yes, it was true. Naruto had cleansed the old man of bad habits and got him writing real works again. The first real novel he wrote was still in manuscript form. It was only practice. The second had become an instant, Elemental Nationwide best-seller. Naruto had co-authored it under the pen name, 'Naruto Namikaze'. After all, no one who knew him knew that name was his actual name now, but they probably could guess it was him. Everyone else was clueless.

What most Shinobi didn't realize was that to achieve very benificial training, you need to do three things: train physically to your limits, train mentally to match your physical training, and fight to protect or defend something worth fighting for. Rock Lee would be OVERPOWERED if only he trained mentally to match his physical training. Of course, he burns sixty thousand calories in each training session, so he'd have to read the entire collected works of Sadako Wo, the greatest Shinobi author ever, three times over. He'd be fried. To Naruto, his mental training was reading and writing. He did mathematics and other courses in his spare time, but the writing was done after a hard day's training session. His first novel, 'The Edge of Evil', would be finished by his sixteenth birthday. Jiraiya said it was the best novel he'd ever read, and when it came to appraising works Naruto did, Jiraiya was very critical. Painfully so.

*nomnomnom* Naruto devoured the sandwich with vigor.

"Okay. I'm gonna hit the sack. 'Night." He left the room, walked down a long dark hall, and entered his room. It was twenty feet by twenty feet, and adorned with his artwork. From his place in the doorway, in the middle of one of the walls, the desk, paper, and typewriter was to his direct left. Still to the left, at the farther corner, was a single bed, with a large amount of fuzzy blankets. Naruto was a great warrior, and man, so he was man enough to admit he loooooved him some fuzzy blankets. To his right, in the closest corner, was a large chest with a simple seal lock on it. It contained personal effects. Some were nice and nostalgic. Some were painful. All were important. To his right in the far corner, was a stand with a torso on it for display. On this torso was a white, high collared, short sleeved coat, adorned with red flames on the bottom, the word 'Fourth' on the back, partially lost due to the massive hole in the center of the back. The hole from the Kyubi's claw. The walls of the room were covered in complex seals for display, artworks, and crazy people boards.

A 'crazy-person board' is a corkboard with pictures, maps, and news articles pinned to it, and usually has sections connected by red string. Naruto used orange string. They're called this because you usually see them in movies when a person goes crazy hunting someone or tracking some case. Naruto was quite sane, despite the fact that he had three crazy-people boards.

He sighed, then walked over to his bed, and slept.

 **So... What'd ya think? Lemme know.**

 **Wanted a lighter chapter, so as to not seem that this series would be too serious. It will be serious, but will have humor, also.**


	5. Chapter 4 - Demand

Sasuke awoke to the steady beep of his heart monitor, his eyes blurred from sleep. He lifted his arm to wipe the crust from the corners. Naruto was sitting in the chair once again. The tape recorder was off.

He took this time to look over him, now that his head was cleared. Honestly, he didn't remember much of the fight, and Naruto's looks were in the grey area.

He was the same height as Jiraiya, with long golden hair flowing down his back and over his shoulders. He wore no forehead protector. His face resembled the photos of the Fourth that Sasuke had seen before, but his eyes were unique. The hue of his iris in each eye seemed to change depending of on mood, as now they were a light turquoise color. He had a scar line on the bridge of his nose, and two parallel scars on his left cheek, beginning at his jawline and reaching halfway up his cheek. He had two red lines under his eyes, much like Jiraiya's marks, but only three inches long. _He must be a sage in some form..._ thought Sasuke. _Could he know Senjutsu?_ He must have some extreme diet and workout routine, too, because he looked like he weighed upwards of two hundred pounds. Sasuke didn't remember the fight that well, but he knew Naruto's size did not hinder his speed. _He's only fifteen, too..._ _How could someone so young, with no caln blood be so damn powerful?_

Naruto wore a long sleeve standard Shinobi shirt, tall necked, sleeves rolled up, much like Kakashi's. Under this, he wore a netted long sleeve shirt, the standard light protection against kunai and shiruken. He wasn't wearing his gloves today. The ones he wore yesterday, what he probably usually wore, were black Shinobi gloves with fingers, no metal plate on top. His pants were Charcoal Shinobi cargos, with a black Kunai Pouch on each thigh, his pants tucked into his almost knee-high boots, resembling Shinobi sandals, but black, with toes covered. There was a small foot-long tanto strapped to his right boot. Sasuke could tell how dangerous someone was by looks, and Naruto's gear wasn't for show. He had everything customized for maximum killing efficiency. _He must be well experienced in mass combat_. Sasuke noticed that on the bicep of his right arm, stitched into the shirt, was the kanji for 'fox'.

And then Sasuke noticed something strange. Naruto's hands were extremely clean and pristine. Not a single scar or callous. Every Shinobi had rough hands. Scars meant training with weapons, Callouses meant melee training, and darker skin, from chakra burns, meant alot of use with jutsu. The more noticeable the marks, the more fighting and training one did. It's why Rock Lee had bandages on his hands. Of course, Gai taught him the lotus, but that's not the original reason for the bandages.

"Naruto, w-*cough* Why don't you have scars on your hand?" He asked. Naruto looked a bit confused. He didn't expect a strange question like that.

"The Fox." Sasuke looked confused this time.

"Every jinchuriki has a power given to them by their tailed beast. For instance, Gaara has control over sand." Sasuke was even more suprised.

"Gaara's a Jinchuriki? Ooohhh... that makes sense."

"Yep. The one tails gives him control over sand. The Nine-Tails power given to me is extremely fast healing. I can have a broken arm at night, and by morning, it'll be healed. I don't get scars, callouses, burns. I won't get arthritis or go blind, and none of my organs will ever get weak or fail. I'll remain as healthy as I am now until I die. Mind you, I'll still get old."

Sasuke's eyebrows lowered. "Well... aren't you just fucking perfect," he sniveled.

Naruto's eyes grew dark once more. "No. I'm not. I'm far from it. After I tell you everything, you'll realize this. Hopefully."

Sasuke looked away, and said, "Fine. Just keep talking."

Naruto sighed. "Okay".

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Naruto was hunched down over a large chest of scrolls. He wasn't supposed to be here, but what Anbu doesn't know can't hurt them. The chest was the size of a refrigerator, and marked with 'INCOMPLETE' in large letters. It belonged to Tobirama Senju, the greatest creator of jutsu ever born. Sure, Hashirama was more skillful and a better leader, but Tobirama was a genius with making jutsu. Twenty five percent of the worlds' S-Class jutsu were made by him, including the Hiraishin. This chest contained some of his failures.

Naruto dug around a bit, looking at the various scrolls and short journals.

He mumbled to himself while digging. "Mass re-animation... exploding clon- Oooh! I'm keeping that." He pocketed the scroll, and dug around for a time before finding what he needed. He skimmed the notes.

"Permanent Henge : Requires demonic chakra, not available for use in normal Shinobi." He smiled. _Perfect for me._ A door opened, and Naruto silently shut the chest, pocketed the scroll, and left through his entryway in an air vent, far too small for an adult or even a teen. Naruto fit perfectly.

2 months later

Naruto sat in the floor, sweat dripping off the tip of his nose. His back was in searing pain.

He had figured out the seal, and sculpted it to create a perfect disguise, which he named the 'Orange Devil'. It was specifically designed to draw attention to itself while simultaneously hiding anything suspicious. He had spent the last two days applying the seal, and now it was sucking demon chakra from him. It was like molten steel flowing through his chakra coils. He clenched the wooden ladle between his teeth, trying not to cry from the pain. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

Suddenly, as fast and painful as it started, it stopped. He spit the ladle out and gasped, his lungs on fire from lack of air. He fell to his elbows and knees, sweat, spittle, and tears splattering on the floor underneath him. He remained this way for a few minutes, then stood up as much as his wobbly legs could hold him. Staggering over to his bathroom, he entered and grasped the sink with both hands to gain balance, and then vomited into the drain. After several minutes of nausea, he realized he should look up, into the mirror. Which he did.

The face he looked like him, but... different. If it worked, he would change, and the disguise would, too, but it would change differently, effectively hiding him. He hated it. _But... Maybe everyone else will, too..._

He chuckled to himself. _Nara are overrated._

One Month Later

No one suspected a thing. Not even the Hokage. Well, Shikamaru Nara might suspect him, but he was too lazy to say something, so Naruto was fine.

He'd been in school for a few months now, and he'd earned the animosity of his classmates pretty quickly. Even some teachers were sick of him. The trick was to spit out something hopeful or aspiring every now and then, so you could reel them back in for a while. Iruka was the only one who'd stayed attached to the boy. Him, and Hinata. She spent half her time studying and the other half watching Naruto. He sighed and smiled when he thought of her. Those little fingers she poked together, those barely violet eyes... it hurt. He wanted to say something, anything to her. But he knew he couldn't. He knew she was out of reach.

He sat in his living room, looking out his window at the rain. Small trails squirmed down the glass like tears. He sighed once more. Rainy days always made him think of Hinata. He leaned, back to the glass, and decided he should do something productive to clear his head. _I'll clean my apartment._

Naruto's apartment was a decent size for one person, and his home improvements made it far better than it originally had been. He'd but a ceiling fan into his bedroom, some new wiring into all rooms, as well as outlets. A few rugs and some furniture was added, and it now looked pretty good. Of course, being a guy, he was a slob sometimes, but he cleaned the place every two or three days. What those who had been in his apartment didn't know was that he had a secret entrance from his apartment into the one below, which was unoccupied. He stored his scrolls and equipment down there, and trained in sealing in a room he'd converted to a study, complete with a desk and library.

After a round of vigorous scrubbing and bleaching the bathroom, Naruto Decided he needed groceries. He got out of his pajamas and into his clothes, activating his disguise and grabbing his rain cloak, stepping into the dark, must hallway outside of his apartment. He walked forth into the dark.

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Black sandals slammed into the floor with each wide step, the wearer panting furiously. He slammed through a door, an older Hyuga man rising from his study, tea in hand. "What's the meaning of this inte-"

"Lord Hiashi, she's gone! Hinata has been kidnapped!"

A glass smashed into the floor, spilling everywhere.

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Cold air drifted over Naruto in a ghostly steam, but he was unaware of this. His cold eyes were locked onto his targets, but he had to know which one to choose. He had to decide.

A young store clerk approached him, asking, "Can I help you?"

Naruto replied without turning his head. "Yeah, you can. Which one of these in the boneless chicken breast? The packages don't say."

"Um... The left one," The clerk pointed out.

"Thanks."

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Naruto walked towards his house, bags in hand, silently swearing at the outrageous prices shops charged him. He couldn't do anything about it, though. Then stores would downright refuse service to him, and they had every legal right to do so. _Sometimes you need to know when to fight, and when to take a beating._

Four Shinobi rushed by at incredible speeds, and Naruto caught what he thought were the words 'kidnapped' and 'clan'. _Someone's been kidnapped?_ His thoughts were drawn to the recent events of the village.

 _Okay, a kidnapping... Kumo Shinobi are in the village, and they've been our enemies for some time... But would they do it? They-_ His thoughts were interrupted by another snippet of information, the one he never wanted to hear, from two Shinobi who vaulted past him.

"They've got the heiress, Hinata."

Naruto's stomach turned violently.

 _They've got Hinata._

His hands grew cold, and his legs became weak.

 _Got Hinata._

From deep down inside of him, a dark force stirred, shifting awake.

 _Hinata._

He found himself in a dark, huge room, the floor covered with several inches of water. In front of him stood a large gate, its contents hidden by darkness.

Two large red eyes opened, and a deep, gutteral growl spread around him.

He looked into the eyes and muttered one word. It was a word he would utter to this... thing, in this manner, only twice in his life. It was not a request. It was not a statement out of need. It was a demand.

"Power."


	6. Chapter 5 - Contrast

**I'm back! Apologies for the long no-writing period. Was a looooong week, with a lot to do. Anyway, here I am! Didn't have a disclaimer last chapter, so I'll put it in here. Twice.**

 _ **I do not own Naruto, and I never will. I just love the story, and I want to expand and entertain the fans. Please support the official release, and check out the cool art and fics.**_

 _ **I do not own Naruto, and I never will. I just love the story, and I want to expand and entertain the fans. Please support the official release, and check out the cool art and fics.**_

 **Apologies for spelling errors. I'm still finding my groove in writing, so if anything changes, be it my style or details, just bare with me.**

 **The combat won't be too specific in detail, because I like to leave some things to the reader to imagine. Too much detail in some areas makes the story blocky and boring.**

 **There will also be some description in certain areas for setting, to establish certain things.**

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A massive burst of chakra shot though Naruto, and he doubled over in pain. Bystanders ran from him in fear as an massive killing intent filled the streets. All the passing Shinobi had already gone. Naruto's canines grew to resemble Kiba's, only longer. His eyes seemed to have dark lines around them, and his iris were now red. The pain subsided.

Everything was there. Naruto could feel the people, their strength and size. He could sense the Shinobi running back and forth through trees and across rooftops. He could feel the Third Hokage pacing back and forth in his office, hands behind his back. He could hear a child across the street breathing, but he had tuned out the droning rain. A stench drifted into his nose. It was a stinkbug. In a tree. Fourty feet away. This power... it was overwhelming. Yet, Naruto knew that the beast had held back. This was only a fraction of his chakra, his skill set. He'd only been given what he could handle.

Naruto looked down at his hands, noting the grooves in his fingertips and the small specks of dirt under his nails. His vision was so strong it hurt. He closed his eyes, breathing in strongly. The world went dark.

 _Focus._

In the darkness, several glowing dots appeared, some larger and some smaller, due to distance. Chakra signatures. The brightness of the shapes depended on the amount of chakra the individual had.

 _Focus._

Several dots faded away. More followed, and more, and more, until two remained. One large one, carrying a small one, moving fast in the forest in Konoha, nearing the wall.

 _..._

Naruto kicked one foot, and moved so fast he nearly smashed into a wall. It was thanks to his new reflexes that he pushed upward, cracking the ground and shooting nearly two hundred feet into the air. He was too infuriated, too enraged to react to these new abilities. His mind was only focused on his target. His kill.

He hit the ground, and shot towards the woods, moving past Anbu, so much slower than him they seemed stationary. Somehow, they did not notice him.

His head suddenly filled with pain, as if filled with fire, knowledge of technique and combat tactics flowing in. Clone combat styles, several basic chakra manipulations, basic attacks and jutsu, and... _My god..._

The Nine-Tails had given him its memory of the his father's fight with him. His massive seal to teleport a beast bomb, and... His Hiraishin seals.

 _This thing knows about the Hirashin... I... I have to have it._

Naruto knew what the Hiraishin seal looked like, what it did, and how his father applied it. He stowed this memory, more valuable to a Shinobi than gold, and ran onwards. He didn't have time to think on his newfound information.

The Kumo Shinobi sprinted into a clearing, the bag on his shoulder still. _I must've knocked the hell out of her_ , he thought. He was almost home free, and any interruption would not be good. But if the Hidden Cloud acquired this bloodline... it would be one hell of a promotion for him.

Suddenly, a rather tall, golden haired boy stood in the middle of the clearing. He'd just... appeared, from thin air. He stopped, confused at this sudden appearance, when a burst of wind and force exploded from the trees, knocking him down, the 'package' thumping about and stopping near a tree. He shifted and shot upwards. The boy remained still.

 _Was that some kind of jutsu? Or... did he move that fast..._

The boy who stood facing him, staring at him, had red eyes, short golden hair, and stood about five-and-a-half foot tall. His power was... non-existent. The Shinobi couldn't feel anything from the boy. It was unnerving. If he hadn't seen him, he'd have no idea he was there.

"Move, kid. I don't wanna kill you," He yelled. The boy just stared, fury drawn on his face.

Naruto lifted one leg, shut his eyes, and fell forward. Everything was slowed down, the Shinobi drawing a kunai, Naruto exhaling, then pressing a massive amount of chakra out of the leg still on the ground. He exploded the dirt into a mess of soil and torn grass, and flew forward almost horizontally, drawing a single, red- hilted kunai. The Kumo Shinobi jumped sideways, and Naruto slashed outwards, the blade nearly two feet from the target, but still cutting his side deeply. Naruto had no clue what happened. It was like he wasn't fully in control, like the Fox was allowing him to do things he didn't even realize he was doing. He was too clouded with hate and anger to think. He was just... doing.

He touched the ground, stopping and spinning, avoiding a slash from the Kumo Shinobi and sending a knee into his ribs. The man stood still momentarily, eyes white, when the force from the attack reached the trees, cracking several and sending leaves flying about. The man spit blood, falling to his knees. He gasped for air, clutching his sternum, groaning, then shouting, in pain.

Naruto walked forward, reaching down and grasping a kunai, and walked over towards the kneeling man. He stopped in front of him, breathing slowly. Killing wasn't easy, but sometimes it must be done. Naruto raised his blade, then brought it down, meeting the kunai the man had raised. The man stared into Naruto's eyes, killer intent growing.

"You fucking worm!" The man threw a fist with incredible speed, connecting with Naruto's cheek, staggering him. He leapt up and kicked Naruto in the chest, knocking the kid into a tree. With a flurry of hand signs, a bright yellow aura surrounded the man. Naruto stood, trying to push away the pain. He looked down, and found a kunai embedded halfway into his chest. His Nine-Tails power had left him, and he was wounded terribly. The man drew a massive amount of chakra into his arms and legs and, from ten yards away, shouted, "Separated Destruction!"\

In the brief second before the attack began, Naruto's eyes grew to huge proportions. The attack launched was one of Kumo's most dangerous Taijutsu attacks, and the man launching it was one of Kumo's best Jounin. The Shinobi lifted one leg, and began striking the air in Naruto's direction in a flurry of movement.

Naruto was suddenly struck with incredible force, each hit exploding a blast of air into him. The trees around him cracked and shattered as his small body was broken and beaten, his eyes white and his mouth agape. The tree Naruto was pushed against dented inward, his skin tearing, the crunch of rock and bone and wood suffused around him. The Shinobi jumped into the air, spun once more, landed, and threw one last turn kick at Naruto. The tree exploded into splinters, Naruto being thrown into the woods. He was motionless, soaked in sweat and blood.

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"I don't know what happened after that. Hinata was rescued by her father, and I awoke in the hospital, my henge on. I have no idea who saved me. Whoever it was, I'm grateful," Naruto said, his eyes displaying his grateful attitude.

Sasuke lay in the bed, speechless, eyes locked on to Naruto, yet focused on nothing. His teammate had done something even Itachi couldn't do at that age. He had gone toe-to-toe with Kumo's equivalent of Asuma Sarutobi, and not only survived, but done some pretty serious damage. What the hell was he?

Naruto sat up. "You seem kinda out of it. I'll let it sink in. We'll continue tomorrow." Naruto stood, shut the tape recorder off, and left the room. Sasuke remained still, lost in thought.

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Outside the room in a large living area, Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo sat playing cards on the floor. Karin smirked.

"Read 'em and weep, fishboy!" Karin smacked her cards down, showing three similair cards with kanji showing 'shark' in red lettering. Suigetsu swore.

"*sigh* That's some- that- *sigh* No fair!" He leaned back against the couch. Jugo chuckled.

"I've got you now." He softly sat his cards down. They read 'killer whale'. Karin's mouth dropped open, and the two boys burst with laughter.

The door behind them opened, and Naruto walked in, looking them over. They all grew silent, avoiding eye contact. He smiled.

"What's the big deal?" He walked over to the fridge, pulling out a cold soda. Suigetsu looked at him, and spoke reluctantly.

"Well, we... what I'm, uh, trying to say is... we don't know if, uh... if we're, like, able to talk to you. Safely." Naruto shrugged, and replied, "Sure. Why not." More of a statement than a question.

Karin was the next to speak. "You're not, like, hostile to us? You tried to kill Sasuke..."

Naruto locked his eyes on to her, serious, but not cold this time. "That was personal. I don't have any reason to dislike you."

"But we were Orochimaru's-"

Naruto held up a hand, and she was silenced. It was like a weird power he had. "You're rejects. No offense, but you are. And you all had no one else to turn to, or were taken against your will. I know what it's like to be in that position, and honestly, if he would have offered me sanctuary at the age he took you, I would've joined." They looked surprise.

Naruto smiled, warmly, catching them off guard. Karin even blushed, though she wouldn't admit it.

"I like you guys. You know what it's like to have a hard background. You're not really bad people. And the fish dude's pretty funny." Suigetsu scoffed, but the other two chuckled.

"Just don't do anything stupid, and we'll get along fine. Hell, if I can get Sasuke back on track, I think the five of us could make a hell of a team. I've been toying with the idea for a while. I'd like to get to know you. So! Cards. Can I join?"

Jugo spoke this time. "Yeah. Yeah, you can." He smiled, much like Naruto. For the rest of the night, the group laughed, played cards, and chatted. The awkwardness eventually subsided a bit. Naruto had a way of opening people up. It was one of his many unique traits.

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Hiashi Hyuga landed in the clearing, instantly on alert. The grass around him had been torn to bits, a few craters and dents in the earth. He jerked around, dodging a strike he detected, and struck the attacker in the heart, knocking him to the ground. He searched the area, finding no other threats. Looking down, he realized that his attacker was the Kumo Shinobi diplomat. The one whom he'd shaken hands with several hours ago at a large signing of a peace treaty. He searched frantically for his daughter, and found her in a bag by a tree. He examined her, sighing in relief at her merely light injuries. He picked her up and held her clese, standing, and was about to leave the scene when he noticed the shattered trees. The Kumo diplomat had been injured, and the area... there'd been a battle. He walked into the debris, over shattered oak and churned mud. In the middle of the chaos lay a battered, impaled, broken child. His skin was matted with blood, grime, and sweat. A kunai had been stabbed into him, and it looked like someone had knocked it in further. He knew who the boy was. He was the child.

The demon's prison in human form.

He took a long look at him, knowing he was near death, knowing how his daughter was fond of the boy. He could let him die. It wouldn't be hard. He looked at his daughter.

Her soft, white skin reflected the moonlight. Tufts of hair drifted down her face. She was so peaceful. She could be a sleeping angel. It was a sharp contrast from the bloodied devil in front of him. But he owed the devil his daughter's life. And Hiashi never forgot a debt.

He reached down and picked Naruto up, speeding off into the night.

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 **Okay, here it is. I'm trying to work on spelling, and proper grammar. Sometimes I get to typing so fast, I lose track of spell checks. But I'll start trying to improve.**

 **Thank my editor, DirtyRedCommie, for noting mistakes. Leave a review and give me some feedback.**

 **Did you like the combat? It's short, but intense. Naruto was, like, ten or eleven, so he was kind of outmatched.**

 **BTW, I know it's a dark story, but I'm a sucker for happy endings, so keep that in mind.**

 **Hiashi saved him, and he doesn't know! Will this affect the NaruHina development? Stay tuned for the next episode of DragonBa- er, 'Who Are You Really?'**

 **-AUTHOR COMMENTARY-**

 _ **I'll start leaving these parts in my chapters, where I'll discuss whatever I want. Deal with it.**_

 **Just Cause 3 is coming out in the fourth quarter of this year. Excited!**

 **Any ideas for Naruto's character? Lemme know! Private Message or review, I don't mind.**

 **Someone needs to make a wiki page for Naruto's apartment, because the layout confuses me.**

 **I kinda want to take the Futurama story, and make it into a serious story. I like the idea of someone being shot a thousand years into the future, and starting over from there. Just thinkin'.**


	7. Chapter 6 - Testing

**I don't own Naruto. Please support the official release, and check out the fan stuff.**

Smoke surrounded the area, as cries of pain and fear echoed into the night. Shapes flashed back and forth through the shroud, mad cackling drifting into the air. Cutting and hacking sounds resounded from no distinct point. Out of the fog emerged a yound man, a monster, covered in blood, his orange armor glinting in the moonlight. He held two dark tanto, matted with blood and dirt. His face hidden in the night, eyes were glowing red. They boy raised his blades, and swung downwards.

Naruto shot up out of bed, gasping for air, reaching for his kunai, his eyes darting about the room. He loosened his grip on the blade, sighing, and threw it into the stone wall. It was only a dream. He fell backwards onto the bed.

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Naruto awoke to the painfully loud beeping of his alarm clock. He smacked it multiple times, shutting it off, and sat up, feet dangling off the side of his bed. His room was completely dark; Naruto couldn't sleep with any lights on. He rubbed his eyes, got up, grabbed his towel, and headed to the shower.

After completion of his hygeine checks, Naruto went to his room, sliding an eastern-style door open, and entered his walk in closet. He put on short, grey sandals and his black Shinobi pants, and a grey v-neck shirt, which he tucked into the pants. He carried no gear. He slipped on a pair of well-worn fingerless gloves, and left his room, turning right and walking quite a distance. Eventually, he came to a large set of doors.

The training room he came into was the size of the Chuunin Exam room from after the forest of death, except the doors entered the room halfway up the wall and led out onto a small balcony. He placed his hand against the wall, channeling chakra to the stone. A forest of bamboo trees appeared, reaching to the balcony. He summoned several shadow clones, which dispersed into the trees. Reaching down to a pile by the door, he grabbed several weights for his legs and arms, and a weighted vest. With that, he leapt silently into the forest.

Nearly an hour later, he emerged, sweaty and lightly battered. He removed his gear, and channeled the Nine-Tails chakra through his body, healing his wounds in a mere second. He opened the door, and walked once more to the showers.

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Jiraiya entered the armory to retrieve some equipment and, upon seeing Naruto on the floor looking through a cabinet, decided to speak with him. He cleared his throat. Naruto looked up. He was wearing reading glasses, with slender, rectangular frames.

"Good morning, sensei." Naruto said, looking back at his clipboard.

"Mornin', kid. What're you doing?"

"Inventory."

"Uh... Any reason?"

Naruto looked up at him with a blank expression. "I've got a lot of gear. I need to keep track of it. Basic shuriken, Fuma shuriken, giant shuriken, basic kunai, tri-prong kunai. I've got too much crap."

Jiraiya chuckled.

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Naruto entered the living room, smiling and laughing at the antics of Team Taka. Karin was presently bludgeoning Suigetsu with a chair, and Jugo was watching calmly, drinking from a juice box.

Naruto waved them off, and entered Sasuke's hospital room. He was surprised to see the young man sitting on the side of his bed, his arms wobbling from stress. Sasuke began to fall, but Naruto rushed over to grab him. He eased him back onto the bed.

"Feeling better, I presume?" Naruto asked, raising a brow.

Sasuke winced at a sharp pain in his side. "No. Just feeling lazy. I hate it."

Naruto smiled at this. This was more of the Sasuke he knew.

"Well, shall we start?"

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Iruka Umino stood in front of his class, smiling brightly. His students sat, looking at him, fingers twiddling, feet tapping. They were so nervous. Iruka raised a hand and motioned to himself.

"Okay. Line up, A to Z. Let's get to it." The class shufffled down the aisles and formed a line. Naruto stood between Sasuke Uchiha and Ino Yamanaka, taking in his surroundings. He knew who was skilled and who wasn't. He knew who would pass this test, but the test administered by the Jounin sensei... he wasn't sure. It depended on the sensei.

Choji Akimichi would certainly pass. His meelee skill, when he actually got mad and fought, was the best of the group. Unfortunately, he was usually too nice and timid to go all out. His constant eating was to fuel his clan jutsu, but he'd be more effective with muscle, sacrificing a quick burst of power for a long, steady stream of it.

Shikamaru Nara, Choji's best friend, was the smartest person Naruto had ever met. His father was apparently one of the Nara clan's greatest leaders in history, his intelligence unparallelled by anyone in the Elemental Nations. Shikamaru's downside? He was the laziest human being Naruto had ever met. If you gave him Gai Sensei's motivation... Naruto shuddered. Maybe it's best to keep him lazy.

Ino Yamanaka was... well, she was a fangirl. At least she took the Shinobi art more serious than Sakura, though. Despite Ino's obsessions and vanity, she would probably be very successful.

These three would no doubt be formed to be the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio, like their parents, functioning as an excellent team with many functions.

Next was Kiba Inuzuka. He was skilled, but not gifted, and made excellent use of his canine-like tracking skills. His drawbacks? He was a jackass. He enjoyed taunting Naruto and pointing out his stupidity, which really pissed the Jinchuriki off.

Shino Aburame was one of Naruto's favorite people. The reason? He was intelligent, verging on gifted, serious, and quiet. Naruto valued silence greatly. In a Shinobi's arsenal, silence was one of the most deadly weapons. His clan techniques were very effective, as well. Shino would make an excellent Shinobi.

Then there was Hinata. Naruto smiled, his thoughts turning to fond images. Ino saw this, and actually dropped her mouth open slightly at the boys genuine brightness. Naruto shook himself from his daydreams. He had to be serious in analyzing his classmates.

Hinata was not very skilled with the Byakugan, and the gentle fist did not fit her well. The best thing to do would be adapt its fluidity to fit her, rather than have her work to fight with its old, blocky moves. Of course, the Hyuga were fools when it came to making changes. One of Hinata's greatest traits, so often associated with weakness, was her kind, pure heart. Most Shinobi mistaked kindness for weakness, but they were dead wrong. Kindness was not the inability to be a killer; it was the moral discomfort of it.

These three would, no doubt, be a tracking team, utilizing their close combat skills only when they had to, focusing on their tracking mainly.

He knew Sasuke would pass. The citizens would freak out if the boy didn't. Of course, they had no power, but they can still annoy the Shinobi into doing their will. Sasuke was gifted, but not greatly. His natural combat readiness was in his blood, and his cold personality played a great role in his deadly efficiency. The problem with Sasuke was that he was bent on revenge. He wanted to kill Itachi, and Naruto seriously believed that the clan child harbored so much hate, that he'd do whatever he had to to get his revenge. Naruto would have to ensure that he did not do anything rash.

After a time, it was Naruto's turn to perform the clone jutsu. He stepped forward, faced Iruka, and prepared to enact his plan. _I'll have to be smart about this, but not too much._

He exhaled. "Sesnei... I can't perform the Clone Jutsu." Iruka's eyes widened. He knew Naruto would struggle, but to not even try? It wasn't like him.

"And... why not?"

"Because I don't have the chakra control." The class sighed, wondering what the hell he was doing now.

"Naruto, that's not my problem-"

"It's not mine either." Iruka looked even more surprised. It sounded like Naruto was actually arguing with him. Naruto never argued with Iruka, just complained.

"You and I both know my chakra reserves are too large to have the control required for the Clone Jutsu. It's not my fault. It's how I was born."

Ino spoke up behind him. "But Iruka has large reserves, and he can-" Ino was interrupted by Iruka, who said, "Naruto's are larger than mine." He didn't take his eyes off the young Jinchuriki. The entire class grew silent. Sasuke's eyes were wide. _But... even mine are far from Iruka's..._ "Exactly how much chakra does Naruto have?"

Naruto turned to face him. "Kage level. Give or take." Sasuke's mouth dropped open. "Bullshit."

"No, really. I do." Naruto's face was emotionless. Sasuke's showed anger and jealousy.

How? How do you have that much?!" He asked, awestruck.

"I was just born with it." He turned to Iruka. "I don't have the chakra control, but that doesn't mean I can't be a Shinobi. The Clone Jutsu isn't a really useful jutsu anyway. Most Shinobi make clones from water and earth as they rank up. And if I can't pass for this, why did Rock Lee pass last year? He can't even mold chakra!"

Iruka searched his mind for a reason to refute Naruto, but came up empty. Why should he anyway? He supported the kid!

"You're right. Naruto, perform a jutsu you know, and we'll score that." Mizuki leaned over to him. "Iruka, if he can't perform the jutsu, you fail him! That's our job!" Iruka glard at him. "No. Our job is to educate Shinobi. His fate will be on me. I have the authority to pass a Shinobi of special circumstance, and I will if I see fit."

Naruto placed his hands together in a seal, slamming them down on the ground. Two tall walls erupted from the ground, covering Naruto from the front and rear. It was a simple mud wall defense, but Naruto's massive chakra had created walls of Jounin strength. Iruka was thoroughly impressed. Naruto, with all his spare time, had worked to learn a jutsu the Academy didn't teach. Or so it seemed.

Iruka believed the boy to have few book smarts, but many other aspects of intelligence. He was wrong. Naruto's IQ was equal to Shikamaru's, he just had different specialties. Shikamaru had combat strategy. Naruto was creative, and personable. Shikamaru improvised in individual combat. Naruto excelled. Shikamaru was observant. Naruto was as well, though slightly less so.

"Naruto... you pass."

The entire class was speechless.

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"So... your reserves are really that big?"

"Yes. My control is better now, though."

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Naruto sat at his kitchen table, hands across his lap. In front of him, on his table, was a scroll he'd found left at his door. It had a wax seal stamped on it, keeping it rolled up. The seal read 'Namikaze'. Naruto was terrified. Who left this? Who knew of his heritage? Did he have family? Was this a trap of sorts? Naruto's mind burned with ideas, trying to find something, anything, that would tell him what this means. He decided to open it.

The wax tore away, and the scroll unrolled, becoming perfectly flat on the table. On the scroll was a seal, the type you apply by hands, rather than draw. The one on the paper was simply the design. Naruto looked at it for nearly an hour, wordlessly arguing with himself about whether to try it. After much debate, Naruto swallowed, channeled chakra into his arms, and slammed his palms on the ground.

Suddenly, Naruto found himself twenty feet in the air, falling and smashing into a stone floor. He rolled over on his back, and leapt up, drawing kunai. He was alone.

 _... That was a reverse summoning jutsu... Where am I?_ Naruto was standing in a large rectangular room, entirely made of stone and masonry. The walls had large tapestry-like banners with designs on them. _Clan symbols... odd._ On both ends of the hall were large, wooden doors. In the center of a room was a small scroll. Naruto walked over to it, unfurled it, and read.

 _If you are reading this, then something has happened to me, and I have been killed before I could tell you my secrets. I have arranged for several things to be given to you on your birthdays if I am killed. This is the first. This base of operations was built by me as a sanctuary away from Konoha. It is currently empty, for certain reasons. Simply apply the seal, and it is yours. For your own safety, the location of the base is kept secret. I give this to you. Use it wisely, my son._

 _Minato Namikaze._

Two single tears slid down Naruto's face as he read the letter. This meant several things. One, his father had left him several things. Two, someone, probably the Hokage, had kept Naruto's parentage secret, and had probably even kept some of the items his father gave him. Third, Naruto finally had a place where he could be free and safe.

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"So is that this place?" Sasuke hadn't been out of his bed the entire time he'd been here.

"Yeah." Naruto looked around, smiling. "This place is a sanctuary. There's an armory, bath and hot springs, six training rooms, a kitchen, dining hall, lounge, and many bedrooms. And that's only the main attractions." Naruto smiled deviously. "I'll tell you about it later."

Sasuke looked at him, his face curious. "If you can't get scarred, how'd you get the one on your face?"

Naruto grew silent.

"Don't ask me that."

Sasuke was taken back by his tone. It was cold, almost hostile. The Naruto who sat before him was so... contradictory. He'd give his own life to save a stranger's, but snapped to be cruel to that very same person. _Whatever happened to make him what he is, it must've fucked him up. Bad_. Naruto stood and, wordlessly, left the room.

Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned back.

"Who are you, Naruto..."

 **So here it is. Tell me what you think in a review or private message, and give me any suggestions or constructive criticism.**

 **While I want Sasuke to be a conflicted character, Naruto is also meant to be messed up. He's depressed at times, and slightly bi-polar. After all, his life has been rough.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX AUTHOR COMMENTARY XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **I didn't get many reviews last chapter, and while I'm not trying to beg for scraps like a Youtube Channel, I do appreciate the feedback. It lets me know what you guys and gals think. I hit fifty followers, though. Thanks so much! The reason I write is because I enjoy it, but the readers help me to continue.**

 **See you later!**


	8. Chapter 7 - Mission and Some Cobwebs

Beep. Beep. Beep.

From a large pile of blankets and pillows, a delicate, pale hand emerged, flicking off the alarm, and disappearing as silently as it appeared. The time was 6:41.

Hinata Hyuga arose from her slumber, stretching her arms out and yawning. Even at such a horribly early hour, with her hair in a wild shape, she managed to seem... petite, for lack of a better word. Her eyes were half shut from crust in their corners, her lavender nightshirt a disheveled mess. She flipped her pale legs over the corner of the bed, shivering slightly from the temperature. She wanted to crawl right back into her blankets, but a shinobi must face the morning like any other enemy. Her morning was like any other. Shower, clothes, breakfast. In that order.

She slipped open the sliding paper doors of her compound, stepping into the cool Konoha air. Thick fog clung to the ground, rising to tree top heights. She felt... off. Something wasn't right in the world. And someone other than her team mates was waiting at The compound's gates.

Leaning on a tree across the gates was none other than Shikamaru Nara. Hinata was instantly aware something was wrong. First, he was awake earlier than eleven in the morning. Second, he was waiting for her. Hinata and Shikamaru were friends, sort of, but not well enough for him to need something from her. This was business.

His eyes were surrounded by dark bags, his skin pale. He looked at her as she walked towards him. He stared hollowly at her, his face masking apprehension.

"Naruto and Jiraiya have been reported missing."

Hinata saw darkness.

When she awoke, she was sitting on a bench outside the office of the Hokge. Ino Yamanaka looked down on her, next to Sakura Haruno. The former spoke first, her eyes showing concern.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Hinata blinked, and nodded. "*sigh* Thank goodness."

Over the past years, with Sasuke and Naruto gone, The three kuonichi of the rookie 9 and Tenten had grown close. Out of the four, Hinata was the most fragile. The others kept an eye on her when they could.

The doors to the office opened, and a haggard Shizune motioned the young Shinobi inside. The Hokage sat behind her desk, hands clasped together, covering her nose. She looked old. Older than her actual age. Framing her desk were Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Anko Mitarashi, Shizune, and a Shinobi with a metal forehead protector framing the sides of his face. The presence of the room was ominous, to say the least. Asuma's smoke clung to the ceiling in thick layers. They'd been in here for a while now. The young Shinobi lined up, and the Hokage began.

"Okay... *sigh* ... As of this morning, at 2:27 AM, we received a letter from one of Jiraiya's contacts... one of his failsafe contacts. In the event of his... death, or disappearance, Jiraiya had several contacts who would notify Konoha. One of those contacts sent us a message this morning. According to the letter, neither Jiraiya or Naruto have been seen for several weeks. It seems they engaged in combat with Sasuke Uchiha and the masked Akatsuki member, and have not been seen or heard from since." Tsunade sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "You are all here because I'm sending you to find the two. They are imperative to Konoha's future."

The young shinobi were now looking distraught. One of their most valued allies... was missing. Hinata and Sakura both felt like crying. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Why all of us? I mean, some of the village's best Shinobi are here. Why send all of us?" Tsunade looked at him, her age and fatigue showing strongly.

"I think you're smart enough to know the answer to that question, Nara. I think you figured out Naruto's role long ago." Shikamaru's eye widened. It was true. He'd figured out long ago why Naruto was the village pariah. He just didn't know anyone else knew he knew.

Hinata had tuned out the surrounding long ago. The thought of anything awful happening to Naruto... it hurt. Her mind started to feel pressured, her breathing became short and raspy.

Tsunade stood up from her seat. "The Jounin leaders of this mission, your senseis and the others, will brief you after you leave. Be packed by 5:00, meet at the gates. Dismissed."

As the young genius of the rookies walked down the desolate Konoha street, he took his hands from his pockets, locking his fingers together, extending his arms to stretch. Naruto was more than most knew. He'd always seemed... crafty. It was like he was playing the fool sometimes, because he was so cliche stupid, yet at times he could go toe to toe with Jounin. If he was hiding something other than his status as a jinchuriki, he was doing a DAMN good job of it. He had to be smart... Nara smart. And he certainly wasn't lazy.

The problem with this was it meant Naruto was a genius with Jounin or high chunin skill, a long history of mistreatment and abuse, and the most powerful demon in history nestled warmly in his stomach. It was a cocktail more dangerous than Itachi or Orochimaru. But, the lazy teen had to admit, he didn't think Naruto could ever do something like what those two did. He was too genuinely good, too warm. His true talent was kindness.

Which pointed Shikamaru in the directions of motives. Why fight so hard for a village that hates you? For a team mate who shuns you? If Shikamaru was going to track this kid down, he'd need to get in his mind. And he'd only begun to realize how hard it would be.

Several years prior to the Jounin's realization, a young Naruto was silently walking through the old, musty halls of an underground bunker. Cobwebs covered the walls, and beneath lie what looked to be engravings. Naruto couldn't nake out what they were.

The base contained a dining hall, medical room, armory, commons, living quarters, two training rooms, and storage. The entire base was empty. There were no items of furniture, no decor, not even anything in storage. The only thing was a sealed chest in the master room, but Naruto couldn't open it. He figured it was one of those, 'when the time is right' instances, so he didn't bother with it. While musing through his thoughts, he noticed the webbing on one wall was moving slightly. The grey strands moved back and forth, as if caught in the breath of an invisible force. Naruto slowly walked to the wall, his brow raised, and ran his finger down a thin line. It was a door. Suddenly, the place he'd lain his hand began to glow, and sealing patterns moved across the stone. With a loud hiss, the door slid open, spewing cold air onto the child.

Naruto saw only darkness through the doorway. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a match, tearing his left pantleg off from the knee down, and wrapped the cloth on a kunai. With his torch lit, he walked into the dark, only to stop after a few seconds to find himself facing a wooden wall. _No... not a wall..._ he walked to the left, and, upon inspection, discovered the 'wall' was the side of a bookshelf. A bookshelf littered with books, scrolls, papers, and wooden chests. He'd discovered a secret library.

"Well, aren't you crafty..." He said, to no one in particular.

Hours later, Naruto reappeared in his apartment, covered in all kinds of dirt and webbing.

"Man, I need a shower."

 **AUTHOR'S COMMENTARY**

 **Hey there. I'm not gonna offer any excuse for my absence, because I have none. I just lost the will to write for a while, and life got busy. Kept telling myself I'd do it later. So here I am. I thought if I got something out, even something short, it'd help me to continue. Emjoy, and support the official release.**

 **BTW, who's ready for Fallout 4?!**


	9. Chapter 8 - Out The Door

Shino Aburame walked into the morning, exiting his clan's compound and shutting the door behind him. His pack was heavy, but the thoughts weighing down on his mind were a stronger burden. Naruto had always been one of the stronger figures in his eyes, a person of bright strength and hope. But now he was lost. Missing. And something wasn't right. After the Hokage's briefing, Shikamaru hadn't said a word, and barely paid attention to his surroundings. He was lost in thought, and Shino was perceptive enough to read the level of depth at which the young genius was at. Shikamaru had gone deep. Past combat level, past actual tactical mode, into deep, secluded territory. He knew something.

Elsewhere...

At the open gates of Konoha, Kakashi Hatake stood quietly. His hands were in his pockets, his olive pack placed against the bottem of a massive wooden door. He looked absently out the gates, at the trees and grass waving silently, gesturing to him in slow, serene motions. Leaves moved rhythmically in the wind, a few breaking free and dancing with the sky as they swept away. Kakashi stared at the beautiful land he called home, trying to rid himself of the deep disturbance he felt. His stomach was doing somersaults. Something wasn't right about the situation. Whether it was Naruto, or Sasuke, Or the Akatsuki, he didn't know. What he did know was that things were probably going to get a lot worse before they got better.

In the back of his mind, he tried to piece the problems together. The Kyubi, the Jinchuriki, the Akatsuki... it all seemed connected. There were just too many coincidences. Why would the Nine Tails, a massively powerful beast, appear in the middle of Konoha and start attacking? Why was Naruto, the son of one of history's greatest shinobi, such a foolish and brash child, yet one of the most crafty shinobi he'd ever met? What was he hiding? And who the hell was behind the Akatsuki, and their plans? They obviously need the Jinchuriki for something, but what? It made the Jounin's head spin.

Kakashi had always wondered about Naruto. He'd been an almost comical fool his whole life. But to go toe to toe with Jounin, Jinchuriki, and Prodigies, and not only survive, but hold his own? That was an impressive feat for one so young, especially Naruto. How could a child so... well, stupid, do what he did? He had to be hiding his skills, and his mind. And that was a frightening thought. The son of one of history's greatest shinobi, the jinchuriki to the most powerful demon in history, a child who had suffered great abuse and hate... and he was smart enough to hide from a village of killer soldiers. In plain sight.

Kakashi turned his head to the forest.

 _Who are you... Naruto..._

Konoha, Three Years Ago...

Naruto sat on the railings of his balcony, cold soda in a glass bottle in hand. Beads of moisture dripped down the glass onto his fingers, sinking into the patterns of his skin. He was wearing his disguise, of course, but only in appearance to others. He'd disabled the rest for the day.

 _It feels so good to let the wind run across my actual face. It's nice._ He closed his eyes and lifted his head to the sun. It was times like these that made Naruto envy civilians. To live an uncomplicated life, one free of pre-determined fates... Naruto had never had that. His destiny was sealed the moment his father gave his life to protect him. He sighed, and moved his thoughts to a yellow notepad on the patio table beside him. Inside lay the current information about the 'base' his father had left him.

So far, he'd discovered the base contained a dining hall, medical room, armory, commons, living quarters, two training rooms, and storage rooms. The Armory was HUGE. It was essentially a long rectangular room, with eastern traditional cabinets lining the walls. Nearly every cabinet was empty, except for the one on the far end, opposite the door. After a very long time of analyzing the seal on it, he simply placed his slightly cut index finger onto the doors, and they slid open. Inside were twenty dusty three tipped kunai. The handles were bare metal, no grip or seals. Naruto guessed that was so he'd figure them out himself. Under the kunai, which were hanging on an old rope, was a wooden torso and head on a metal stand. Obviously for a suit of armor. The cabinets were all about ten feet tall, and the room was twenty feet tall, so Naruto had some room for decorations. There was enough space in the center line of the room for some stands or display cases, depending on what Naruto wanted to put there.

The Medbay was square shaped, and had three levels accessible by stairs. Each outer wall was three hundred feet long. There were no walls to make rooms, as of yet, but in the center, each floor had a twenty by twenty hole with railings, and a barren garden sat on the first floor, underneath the holes. Oddly, the room was very well lit, but had no lighting of any kind. _Some kind of Jutsu, maybe,_ he thought.

The other rooms were empty, except the room adjoining the dining hall had plumbing for sinks and whatnot. The rest was empty, but labeled.

He'd spent the last few weeks cleaning the place, mapping the rooms, and making any repairs in the walls. There weren't many. When he said bunker, he meant it. Place was more shelter than anything else.

There was also one empty room, with a large circular entrance. He suspected a vault door went there, but it was absent.

His thoughts were interrupted by a thud on the roof behind him. He turned his head quickly, spotting the silhouette of a short, slender figure behind him, sun to it's back. It's pink hair blew left in the wind. _Pink Hair? Sakura._.. _What now..._ She dropped down onto the balcony, pausing for a moment to eye her surroundings.

"This is what you do on your off time?" She said, looking at the soda and notepad, which Naruto promptly swiped up.

"Maybe it is. Maybe I enjoy relaxation on my off time." He replied, irked by her probes.

She was caught a bit off guard by his lack of shouting or squinting, but shrugged it off as him being weird. In her mind, he was weird often. Besides, a fresh Genin wasn't the most observant of beings. She looked him over, observing his casual attire. Today, he wore a dark orange, almost scarlet V-neck T-shirt. His Jeans were regular civilian style, almost black. He looked pretty good, she had to admit. He eyed her, waiting.

"Well? Any reason you're here, Sakura-chan?" He asked, sporting a smile. A rather genuine, charming smile. She blushed lightly.

"We've got a mission today. Hokage tower, forty minutes." He nodded, and turned, lifting his soda to his lips, taking a long swig. As he lowered the bottle, he noticed she was gone. _Hm. Well, we're not friends, and it's not for my lack of trying, that's for damn sure._ Naruto walked to his bedroom through the opened sliding doors, applied the rest of his disguise, and dressed in his orange gear.

At the tower, he met up with his squad, who was, as usual, completely occupied with their own little world. When their time came, the doors to the Hokage's office opened, and the group entered. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his chair, a long wooden pipe sticking out from his lips. He took a long puff, exhaled, and spoke.

"By the request of your sensei, and my confidence in your abilities, I have decided that it is time for your first C-Ranked mission. You will be escorting a bridge builder to the land of waves, where you will remain until his work is done. And I can see in your faces that you sought something more adventerous, but trust me, this will be an excellent chance for you all to bond, train, and make some decent income. Now-"

Naruto frowned, and sighed very loudly. The Hokage raised an eyebrow, and leaned back in his chair. "Something to add, boy?" Naruto put on his best 'disappointment' face.

"Why can't we fight someone, or rescue something? This is SOOOO lame!"

The rest of Team 7 rolled their eyes.

Three years later...

At the gates of Konoha, Hinata Hyuga stood silently as the rest of the mission's members bustled around her. She stood silently as her thoughts drifted about. Shikamaru stood a few feet away, watching her. Her fingers twiddled together in her hands, which she held at waist level. She had obviously been a bit distanced as she packed, because her bags weren't zipped shut completely, and bits of items stuck out of her bag. This was uncharacteristic for the girl, Shikamaru thought. She wasn't quite a perfectionist, but her clan's routines and strict policy of appearances had formed her into a creature of habit. Never dishevelled, always in order. Today she was in her mind, though, lost in a sea of her own worry. And damn, did this girl worry, he thought. About everything. He had to say, she was a nice girl, but she was seriously lacking in the confidence section. He walked over towards her, hands in pockets.

"You know, Naruto isn't smart." He stated. She looked at him, knocked out of her thought. "He's not really tall, or stylish either. But that little turd is crafty. And he might just be the most impossible to kill human being I have ever met. So I wouldn't worry." He smiled at her. She said nothing, but her eyes conveyed the message.

 _Thank you_.

 **Author's Notes...**

 **I am so sorry for not writing for so long. I just didn't quite know how to work with this story. Where to go with it. But I've got it now. I just need to keep writing.**

 **Now, Hinata isn't a weak frail character in my story. She's just not developed yet. The point of this story is the journey. And she has to walk that road, and find her role in the story. I don't want to convey her as weak. Also, this is my first writing effort, besides creative writing class, so I'm learning the ropes.**

 **If you have any ideas, just let me know. Comment, message me, whatever you like. I'll try to respond.**


	10. Chapter 9 - Out The Door: Part II

The four strongest emotions a human being can feel are love, hate, fear, and nostalgia. They feel nostalgia in everything. They celebrate the day they were born. They celebrate anniversaries in five, ten, even fifteen years. They mark occasions to mean the start of things. This was such an event.

On the morning of their first C-Rank Shinobi mission, the Genin of Kakashi's Team 7 walked out of the gates of Konoha, onto the dirt road that would lead to many places, if they so desired to follow it. Now, walking through a gate isn't anything special. But to these Genin, it was a milestone. Their first C-Rank mission. The first opportunity to get better pay. The opportunity to travel. The possibility that they might have to fight someone. That thay might have to kill someone.

As these thoughts and fears traveled through the minds of the young Shinobi, Kakashi walked behind them, hands in his pockets, lost in thought. He'd walked through this same gate many times. Into small missions with escorts and caravans. Into silent groups of comrades, marching silently to war. He'd walked to the forest to gather wood for reconstruction, turning his back to the smoldering ashes of Konoha after the attack of the Nine Tails. Kakashi, pessimist he was, looked down at the three Genin ahead of him with grim worry.

 _What am I marching them to? To guilt and grief? Or is this different?_ He sighed, lifting his head to the sky, looking towards the clouds wisping softly across the blue.

 _Maybe they'll do things differently. After all, They are not the same as I._ He looked down at the young child in orange in front of him.

At this time, Naruto walked with his hands behind his head, his eyes shut. It was a rather warm day, and he planned to enjoy the silence. He'd packed lightly, with only the basic Shinobi gear to arm him. After all, this was only a C-Rank mission, and it was very unlikely that he would-

There was a puddle on the road.

One small puddle.

It hadn't rained for days.

 _Shit._

The puddle exploded into watery vapors, as two men with long, scruffy hair shot towards Kakashi. Tethered between the two on metal gauntlets was a long chain, covered in spikes. Naruto recognized them immediantly. They were the Demon Brothers of the Mist, nuke-nin from Kirigakure. _Fifteen Minutes out of the gate, and the shit's already hit the fan_ , thought Naruto.

He knew Kakashi would just hide for a moment. No doubt trick the enemy into thinking he'd been slain. He'd want to observe his pupils before he stepped in and effortlessly wiped the floor with these fools. Naruto was capable of this as well, though he gathered Kakashi was far past him. His dilemma was in how much effort to put in. Too much, and he'd arouse suspicion. Too little and he'd suffer disapproval from his team. Though, as he said that in his head, he realized he already had that.

So as the shinobi duo charged towards Kakashi, he simply froze. As they ripped into the log he'd used as a replacement, Naruto stood and observed his team. First of all, he was a bit dissapointed in his sensei for hiding from his students, but Shinobi are warriors of stealth and deception, so he shouldn't be too surprised. He turned his head to the left, as the whole world seemed to move in slow motion, his mind analyzing the situation with lightning speed. Sakura stood still, no doubt shocked by the events unfolding around her. Her eyes were widened, her form moving back very slowly. She seemed to be more surprised than afraid. He turned his head to the right, observing Sasuke as he shot up into the air, over the Shinobi's chain. While airborne, he drew a kunai and flipped it towards the chain, pinning it into a tree. Before the two Shinobi could disconnect from the tree, Kakashi appeared next to them, giving each one a precise and swift strike to the head, knocking them into unconsciousness. A strange numbing sensation began to spread through Naruto's hand. He looked down. He was bleeding. _No doubt the chain was poisoned... hm. Odd. I didn't feel a thing._

Before he could think further into this, he was snapped back into reality by Sasuke, who stood in front of him.

"Huh?" Naruto said, not aware that the boy had been speaking to him.

"I said, what's wrong... scaredy cat?" Sasuke smirked at him. And Naruto just stared.

Kakashi sighed, observing his pupil's hand. "That's probably poisoned. We'll have to take you back to Konoha." From behind him, Tazuna perked up at this development. "But I need you to get me home! Now!" Kakashi turned to him, narrowing his eye.

"We were just attacked by two renegade Shinobi. These men were obviously targeting us. That instantly bumps up the mission's rank to a B or possibly A. Tell me what you're hiding." He looked into the bridge builder's eyes, releasing just enough killing intent to make the man crack. Tazuna looked away.

"There's a man in my homeland named Gato. He wants to take the island over, for his business. He's trying to kill me before I can build this bridge, so he can control the waters around the island, which will be the only way in without the bridge." Kakashi's eye was considerably wider now. He'd heard the name Gato before. "He's one of the wealthiest men in the elemental nations. He's trying to kill you... Then the mission has become more dangerous. I can't allow my pupils to go, and you..." He looked at Tazuna, pointing to him. "You lied to Konoha."

Tazuna got down on his knees, clasping his hands together. "Please! I gave you all the money we could muster! He's robbing us blind..."

Sasuke spoke up from behind them. "I'm willing to continue." Sakura looked at him, smiling; "Me too!" She said. Kakashi looked them both over. "Since Naruto is wounded and needs medical attention, then we-" He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed what Naruto had done. There stood the young Shinobi, breathing calmly, with a bloody kunai in hand. His other hand was bleeding much more. Kakashi was caught a bit off guard with his quick thinking. "Naruto, did you cut yourself to bleed the poison out?" Sasuke and Sakura turned around in shock. Naruto smiled. "Well," he said, " this saves us a return trip. I just need to patch this up, and we'll be on our way." He smiled a big goofy smile. Kakashi smiled back. "Well, you've got guts, kid. Sakura, can you patch him up?"

The girl looked at him, her eyes a bit widened. "Me?", she asked. "Well," replied Kakashi, "You do know first aid, don't you?" She gulped. "Um... yeah." Kakashi smiled. "Then this will be good experience in using it."

As Sasuke recovered his tools and Sakura bandaged Naruto's hand, Kakashi looked at them with contentment.

 _Maybe they will do things differently._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND Scene.**

 **So, I need to ask if you want me to skip some of the Canon stuff, or speed through it, to get to Naruto's journey with Jiraiya. That's where I plan some real development, and you all know the main story anyway. I'll still go over the big events, just not in depth. Let me know what you think.**

 **Also, give a read to Dreckman's story. He's started writing his first Naruto Fic, like me, and I'm sure he'd appreciate and enjoy any thoughts and support. I know that helps me to keep writing.**

 **In My story, there will be darkness, and death, but only to show what the real Shinobi world would be like. I'm not a fan of anything too dark, and I am a sucker for happy endings, so don't think this one will be super gruesome and depressing.**

 **I enjoy CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and ideas, and if you have questions or thoughts, leave a review or private message me. I'll be glad to answer what I can.**

 **I kept this chapter brief to find out whether you want me to skip stuff.**

 **Thank you, Uzumaki Ricky, for the correction. I called him Izuna, Madara's brother, rather than Tazuna. That's a weird mistake.**


	11. Chapter 10 - Moments

**I have decided to skip the first series, and instead, this chapter is going to be some important moments done in my way, before I move to original content. Besides, we've read the Chunin Exams enough, right? Enjoy.**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Inari looked at the shinobi across the table, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.

"You're all going to die! Heroes are fools! He shot up from his seat, running out the door. He shot off the front steps of his house, sprinting through bushes and trees, his emotions pouring out. He ran and ran, until he finally reached a small dock at the edge of a little bay, not far from his house. Dropping on his bum, his legs hanging off the side, he sobbed silently. He did that alot these days. He didn't hear the Genin approach.

"We are fools."

Inari looked next to him, surprised at his silent approach, and statement.

"Heroes rush into losing battles, and dangerous situations. We hold no sense of self preservation, or any common sense, for that matter." He looked down at the boy next to him. His red, puffy eyes saddened Naruto greatly. _No child should feel this level of pain, or sadness._

"So, why do heroes do these foolish things, you might wonder? Because we care."

Inari looked at this boy, baffled by the sudden turn in attitude. He seemed so mature.

"Heroism is bravery. It's knowing that danger exists, but going in anyway. Am I scared of being a ninja? Hell yes. I'm terrified that I'll get hurt, or killed. But I care about my precious people too much to let that fear get the best of me. I'd rather die than live without them." His eyes locked onto the boy's, his expression growing serious.

"Heroes ARE fools, Inari. But we're fools with good intentions. We're fools that would rather die than lose those we love. And if that's what a fool is, then I want to be a fool."

The child's tears halted at the young child's statement. He looked deep into the eyes of the young Shinobi, their eyes exchanging more emotion and understanding than words ever could.

And for the first time in nearly a year, he smiled.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"You are a fool."

Neji Hyuga lay battered and broken on the ground in the Chunin Exam stadium. His bloody but victorious enemy stood over him, now calm and VERY serious.

"Fate? Fate is a cowards excuse to stay down. It's non-existent. It's as real as the monster in your closet." Naruto looked into his eyes. Neji was taken back by this. His eyes no longer displayed cheer. They were empty. Cold.

"You think you're alone? You have no idea what solitude is. No idea what it feels like to hate. And you think I let MY emotions rule? You've dodged the fight for years. Instead of trying to change your situation, what did you do? You insulted the only family you have left that truly cares about you... and then you tried to kill her." The prodigy's eyes widened at such a bold statement.

"You want to change your fate? Let it go. Take every shred of hate, every bit of pain and suffering, and give it the finger. Because that hate will destroy you. It will take whatever bit of humanity you have left, and turn you into a monster." Naruto's eyes softened, the presence he had was gone. He walked over to the prodigy, kneeling down, now close enough to touch him.

"Neji... I want you to change. For me. For her. For yourself. You want to change the Hyuga?" Naruto reached his hand down, as if to help his enemy up.

"Then I'll help. I will achieve my dream of becoming Hokage, and I will help you achieve yours. I promise you this. After all..." He smiled. It wasn't a massive, eyes shut smile. It wasn't a forced smile. It was real, warm, and comfortingly subtle.

"I never go back on my word."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The two Jinchuriki crashed into the ground, sickening crunches heard from Naruto's left arm breaking on impact. Gaara faired better. He landed on soft grass, though still in pain from the fall. He clutched his left side, rolling onto his back, shouting in pain through clenched teeth.

What had happened? How had he been defeated? His mind shot questions back and forth like a battlefield, chaotic and confused.

Soft scraping of dirt could be heard. Gaara lifted his head, using what little energy he had left. Naruto was dragging his bloodied body towards Gaara with his right arm. In his mind, the red headed boy was panicking. He was going to die. He was too weak to move and the blond was going to kill him. His breathing became erratic, his eyes wide, his fingers twitching. He tried to muster up all his energy as Naruto grew closer and closer. He couldn't budge. He shouted in terror as, for the first time in a long time, he felt fear.

Not the danger when he'd realized Lee was as fast as he was. Not the caution he felt when Sasuke had broken his defense. Not the sorrow and confusion when his uncle had tried to kill him. He felt fear.

Pure, absolute terror in the face of mortality.

He felt suddenly hot and itchy, but cold at the same time. His limbs were mostly numb or in searing pain, his ribs cracked, possibly broken. He was defenseless and immobile and he was going to die.

 _I don't want to die, I Can't I DON'T WANT TO DIE I DON'T WANT TO DI-_

Someone was holding his hand.

Gaara looked over his chest at his opponent, now in arm's reach, and stared right into the eyes of the only person he'd ever really feared. His cerulean eyes were a myriad of sorrow and comfort. His hand gripped the other's tightly as the young Uzumaki muttered one phrase.

"It's not your fault."

Gaara's eyes widened at the statement.

And he understood.

His enemy had used what little energy he had left to come to him, grasp him, look past the monster he was, and speak to the frightened boy inside. He was so warm, so genuinely understanding, yet so angry and confused. It was like looking into a mirror at what you are and could be, what you were and could have been, all at once. His mind leapt back to the fight, the Shukaku and... the fox.

The stares of hate he'd seen the boy receive, and the contempt after he'd been victorious.

He was the same.

"I understand," said Naruto.

And Gaara wept.

He let out every ounce of pain, every minute of fear and hate and confusion and insanity he'd ever held back. He didn't know how he could react so powerfully to so few words, so few expressions. But he did. He lost every bit of grasp he had on his inner turmoil, and he just let it loose. Time slipped away as he opened the floodgates to his pain, letting out a drenching sea of emotion.

Temari and Kankuro landed in the small clearing, breathing erratically. The area had been demolished, the trees uprooted. In the center was their brother.

His eyes were empty, his face red and puffed from tears. He'd been crying for some time. Now, he just looked hollow. His left shoulder was on Naruto's chest, whose arms were wrapped around him, supporting his weakened frame. The young boy looked at the two, whose faces held expressions of confusion. He held their gaze for nearly a minute, then spoke.

"Take him home. He needs family right now."

Temari, being older and wiser than Kankuro, was the one to notice the strangeness of the words. This couldn't be the same fool they'd fought and seen fight, could it? He had spoken to the Hyuga during their fight, and his stance and expression changed, but she hadn't heard him. The expression the Hyuga wore now made sense.

This boy was not who they thought he was.

Wanting to avoid conflict, she walked over, placed her hands under her brothers legs and back, and lifted him away. Wordlessly, she locked eyes with the boy, exchanging a curious look for his warm, kind one, tuned, and left.

As the three sand siblings walked away, Gaara, never ceasing the blank and far off expression he wore, spoke to her.

"Sister... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry for everything..."

Her eyes widened as she looked down at him. He was usually cold and frightening. Now... he felt so scared, so vulnerable. She shifted him, looking into his empty, teal eyes.

"It's okay."

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto sat across from Tsunade, his eyes locked on to hers. She was partially inebriated, and fully rude.

"I can't believe he'd think I would take the hat."

Jiraiya had gone to the restroom, and Tsunade was pretending Naruto wasn't there. His arms were crossed, his face showing anger. Obvious, extreme anger.

"Sensei was a fool. What kind of intelligent, thinking person would willingly take a job like Hokage, where you slave away for a village that doesn't care, and with ninja that die under your command for such a broken ideaology as the Will of Fire?" she asked, obviously too drunk to care about her surroundings.

"A pretty selfless one, I'd say." Tsunade stopped the sake cup an inch from her mouth, lowering it to the table, looking over at the child in front of her.

He looked older, for some reason, staring down at the table into nothing.

"It'd have to be someone strong. Someone smart. Someone willing to bear the burdens of the thousands of people that live there, and everyone that comes through. Someone who's willing to lead a nation that's been sick for years. Someone who's willing to drop by a school to make a child's day. Someone willing to go into battle for days, then carry their bleeding friend through a field on mud and fire through enemies from the front lines, while the man on his back hold his insides in and screams for his mother, sleep at camp for an hour, then do it again. Someone willing to send the people they hold closer than anything on this earth to their deaths, because they must. Someone willing to drag their own name through the sewers so that one little orphan has the right to own an apartment. Someone who'd fight tooth and nail to ensure that they could get an education, even if the system shits on the kid. Someone willing to kill people they've promoted and shared laughs with and given smiles to, because they made one mistake and thought of the kid as a monster. Someone willing to knock on a door, and then tell the young and caring wife of a comrade that her husband won't be coming home. That he won't be there when his child is born in three months. And he will stand there as she breaks, hold her while she cries, and close his eyes as she beats his chest, lost and alone with a child on the way. And it would have to be someone willing to wake up the next day and do it all again."

He looked up, his tired and wise eyes meeting the Sannin's own.

"It has to be someone better than you." Tsunade's brow's raised at the boy's harsh proclamation.

"You lost the two you cared about, and what do you do? You leave the village they gave their lives to. You abandon every dream and aspiration they ever had, because you'd rather hide from yourself than keep fighting."

He stood up to face her, as she sat speechless.

"You can spit on me, and on Konoha, because we may deserve it. But don't you ever insult Hiruzen Sarutobi in front of me again. That man gave everything he has ever had and ever cared about to make this hell of a world we live in a better place. He is the sole reason I stand here today, and he is the only family I have ever had. If you don't want the job, say no, but keep your drunken fucking mouth shut about my grandfather."

Tsunade had no words to say as the boy turned and left, walking out the door. No one had ever talked to her like that. He was just a child, but his words hat cut her. She didn't know what to feel.

Anger is what surfaced.

She smashed the cup of sake in her hand, standing up. Shizune was still in a daze. The sannin walked out of the bar, tears silently streaming out her face. Naruto was walking down the street, now empty, maybe thirty feet from the door. She turned to him.

"How dare you..." Naruto stopped, never turning around.

"You know nothing about me. Nothing! Nothing about my loss and what I've seen! You have no right! You want the job, take it then! And take this god damned necklace!"

She reached up to rip the crystal from her neck.

"Stop." Her hand gripped the jewel tightly, but obeyed the command. Jiraiya stood behind her, his expression grim. "You don't know him either, Tsunade. You don't know his pain."

"It doesn't compare to mine," she replied, almost to herself.

"He is the jinchuriki to the Nine Tailed Demon."

Tsunade's eyes shot wide with shock. A jinchuriki... a demon container, recipient to hate and pain from all.

"His entire life, he has been alone. He has bled and wept and lost everything to Konoha. He fears his own birthday, for god's sakes. Sensei was the only thing he had, and you had no right to trash him like you were." The Toad Sage was never one to scold Tsunade, so the fact that he wasn't siding with her or remaining neutral further enhanced the tone of the situation.

"I'll make you a deal." Both Sannin looked towards Naruto, back still facing them two.

"I'll take the necklace as my prize... when I can make you care again."

Tsunade looked to him, her face showing confusion.

"Until then, we're just gonna follow you around. Get used to it."

Naruto walked off towards the hotel, lifting his right arm and waving goodbye with two fingers.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tsunade recalled his harsh words, how she'd let her damn mouth run once more, and hurt him as much as he's hurt her. And now he lay underneath her, bleeding to death, and she was too damn frightened to move. His chest barely moved from shallow and sparse breathing.

 _Move,_ she told herself.

Her hand trembled slightly, but stayed in place.

She was going to lose another one.

Tears began to slide down her cheeks, dripping down from her chin onto Naruto's neck as she choked back a painful sob.

Underneath her, a hand lifted slightly, clad in orange, covered in blood from a cut between the fingers. She watched as it moved upwards with great effort, reaching the dangling turquoise crystal that hung from her neck. The bloodied and dirty face of Naruto Uzumaki moved to create a smille, his blue eyes opening and locking with the brown eyes of the woman who hovered over him.

"I win."

Her sobs stopped as her body became aware, snapping into action. Her hands hovered over his heart, green chakra seeping into him.

 _I will not lose you, too, Naruto._

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was bright.

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the sin's rays which shone into the hospital room. He lay in the bed, bandages on his chest and over his right eye and cheek. Moving his head, he noticed someone was at the window.

It was Sakura.

She stood facing out the window, adjusting some fresh flowers in a glass vase. Naruto was very good at reading people, and could tell that she was bothered by how she was holding herself. She turned, not seeing his eyes open, and stared absently at the ground by his bed.

She'd been crying.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Her head snapped up, her eyes wide at the fact that he was not only awake, but watching her. Before he could react, she'd crossed the room and embraced him, burying her head into his left shoulder.

"Naruto, you're... you..." She began to lightly cry into his shoulder. He mover his arms over her, returning the embrace. If Sakura was always this genuine, they would get along more.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan. Hungry, but fine." She laughed through her tears, moving herself to sit up and meet his eyes. He never ceased to amaze her with how he could lighten any situation. She actually blushed a bit when he smiled. Some times, he just seemed a mystery, a loud and brash, wise and wonderful mystery. As she looked at him, his eyes grew serious.

"Sakura, Sasuke got away. But I promise you... I promise both of us, I will bring him back. My word is my bond after all, you know"?

Sakure gazed at him in wonder, then moved in and hugged him. She rested her head on his left should, looking away from him. "Just... be safe."

"Oh, I'll be fine. After all, I won't die until I become Hokage."

She moved back, blinking a few times in surprise at such a ridiculous, Naruto-esque statement.

 _Naruto, you never cease to amaze._


	12. Chapter 12 - Author Update

So here's the deal.

I lost interest. I know, shit excuse, but I did, and I apologize. But I'm going to fix that. Now heres what I aim to do:

I took on a whole big bunch of ideas I had floating in my head, and I screwed it up. Like a speeding train taking a curve too hard. A curve that was on fire.

I began "Naruto: Master of Deception", "Who Are You Really?", and "Subject 371". And I lost interest. I lost interest because I think I had too many ideas and didn't take the time to write them out. I didn't approach it like a book; instead, I just started typing furiously. So what I plan to do is take all three stories, combine their ideas and aspects...

And center them around Boruto.

HEAR. ME. OUT.

I like Naruto fanfics, but sometimes I feel its too difficult to take such an established character and branch off, while staying true to what the story is about. Bolt? WAAAAAY more open. I can work here. He can be far smarter, better, I can add so much, yet not have so many plot holes. Yeah, he can have issues, but with the original, there's so much that it seems like if you don't add in the entire original story, the right progression of things won't happen. Certain characters won't be who they are at the end. And I think Bolt can be much more interesting, because I feel like the world he lives in has more tech, and as a result, you get imprints of other stories and atmospheres in Naruto. Think the city in Blade Runner, with ninja and espionage. So that's kind of what I aim to do. Combine them.

Because if I don't, nothing is going to happen. Nothing will get made.

I don't have a time frame, nor do I offer a regular update schedule. But I promise you I'll make it. And it will be big.

Very big.

Thanks for reading this far.

UPDATE

So I thought I'd explain the premise of this next story, because someone in a review suggested it. If you like any of the three stories above, listen up.

What I aim to do is combine the ideas I had from all three and put them into one story, centered around Bolt. Now I know Bolt's an unlikable tit most of the time, but honestly, I hate early Naruto more. I do. It's like they made this unbelievably beautiful world, with this incredible backstory, added so much lore and mythos, and then was like, "Hey, who's our main character? I dunno, how about some dude who farts on people?" Yeah, I know he got better, but he was so unlikable to me in the beginning.

Which is the great thing about Fanfiction, is that you can change that. Which is why if you don't like Bolt you don't have to worry. He's not going to be an arrogant asshole. He's going to be smart. And he will be somewhat sarcastic and confident, but not in an annoying way. More of an anti-hero than what Naruto is. Does the right thing, but still kills enemies. He is a shinobi after all.

Now I aim to take most from 'Subject 371' because I went and read it again, and I forgot how much I enjoyed writing it, and how much I enjoyed putting that kind of description in there. I'll take aspects of 'Who Are You Really?' into it as well, probably tell the story after the fact like I did in it. Going back through it, I didn't have as much fun writing it, but I liked what I was trying to do there more than 371, if that makes any sense. It felt less descriptive, but more... promising. More capacity for good, dark moments. I aim to combine these elements into one story. A little humor, a little sadness, a little slice of life. Since 'Who Are You Really?' was a direct re-do of 'Master of Deception', I don't aim to pull a lot from that, but what I was going to do later in that story will be in this one, as will the others. I'd planned a lot and didn't get around to it.

Also, don't panic, it'll be dark but I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Expect implied dark elements like 'offscreen' genocides of small villages by the bad guys, but don't expect, like, rapes or anything. That stuff is a subject I'd rather have nothing to do with. Though there might be a few 'character about to get attacked or assaulted' gets saved right beforehand situations, there won't be anything on screen that happens.

So send me a PM if you have questions, since I find it easier to reply there, and I hope you'll enjoy the new story!

Maybe someday I'll go back and re-do '371' or 'WAYR'. Someday. But for now, I'm doing something else.


End file.
